Akasa Air orders over 300 CFM LEAP-1B engines for its recently-ordered 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Close on the heels of its order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft, fledgling carrier Akasa Air on Friday announced that it will be buying over 300 LEAP-1B engines from Franco-American aircraft engine manufacturer CFM International to power those planes.

The agreement, announced in conjunction with the state visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron to India, also includes spare engines and a services contract. CFM International is a joint venture between France’s Safran Aircraft Engines and United States (US)-based GE Aerospace.

Akasa Air and CFM International did not divulge the exact number of engines that are part of the order, nor did they give details of the deal’s financials. In November 2021, a similar deal was announced for over 144 LEAP 1B engines by Akasa Air and CFM International. That order, according to CFM International, was valued at nearly $4.5 billion at list prices. It is worth noting that airlines negotiate significant volume discounts in such orders.

Akasa Air launched its operations in August 2022 and had previously ordered a total of 76 LEAP-1B-powered 737 MAX 8 aircraft, of which 22 are currently in service.

“This significant, long-term agreement is testament to the confidence that CFM International has in Akasa Air. Continuing to partner with CFM as our engine maintenance provider not only reaffirms our focus on operational reliability but equally underscores Akasa Air’s relentless pursuit of world class safety,” Akasa Air Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube said.

On January 18, Akasa Air had topped up its earlier order of 76 planes with another 150-aircraft order. While the earlier order was for Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the latest one includes a mix of 737 MAX 8 and the relatively bigger 737 MAX 10 planes. The airline did not disclose the aircraft order value. The average list price of an aircraft of the Boeing 737 MAX family is around $130 million, which means that the order size on list price basis would be close to $20 billion. However, aircraft manufacturers usually offer hefty discounts on large orders.

The 150 aircraft are expected to be delivered to Akasa Air till 2032, which essentially means that the engine deliveries will also follow that timeline, as aircraft are delivered with engines installed.

“This new order grows CFM’s footprint in India, with more than 400 CFM-powered aircraft in service and 2,500 LEAP engines in the backlog. Both CFM’s parent companies GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines have also significantly invested in India to build state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to LEAP production and maintenance, while signing strategic partnerships with Indian aerospace companies as part of the ‘Make in India’ policy,” a joint release by Akasa Air and CFM International said.

According to CFM International, the LEAP engine family has the fastest accumulation of flight hours in commercial aviation history, amassing more than 45 million engine flight hours and 18.7 million flight cycles. “Since entering service in 2016, the LEAP engine has helped operators save more than 30 million tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) compared to the same flights with previous generation engines,” the engine manufacturer said.

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